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Sunday, April 9, 2017

Review of "No Money, No Beer, No Pennants"

Each baseball team, no matter how good or bad they have performed on the field over the years, has a unique history and some very interesting stories. This book shares some of those for the Cleveland Indians during the Great Depression. Here is my review of "No Money, No Beer, No Pennants."

Title/Author:

“No Money, No Beer, No
Pennants: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression” by Scott
H. Longert

Tags:

Baseball, history,
Indians

Publish date:

September 15, 2016

Length:

272 pages

Rating:

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

After winning the World Series in 1920, the Cleveland Indians didn’t
repeat the success again, sinking to new lows by 1928 with a star (Tris
Speaker) who retired amidst a gambling scandal, their owner passed away and the
value of the franchise was rapidly declining.However, all was not lost for the team as a new owner and a new stadium
would help reverse the team’s fortunes despite the country being deep into the
Great Depression.

In this well written and deeply researched book, Scott Longert
illustrates how the Indians were able to overcome this adversity and help
convince the voters and local government leaders of Cleveland to build a brand
new stadium – Cleveland Municipal Stadium with a capacity of over 80,000. The dealing
and construction of the stadium is just one of the many issues affecting the
team in which Longert gives the reader sufficient detail to get a clear picture
of the issue, who the key people are in the matter and what the final result
will be.

The portrayal of people, from owner Alva Bradley to managers Roger Peckinpaugh
and Walter Johnson are also well researched and the reader will follow them
through most of the book.Key players
are also included and the same attention to detail is paid to them as
well.From Wes Ferrell and Earl
Avirillto Bruce Campbell (who survived spinal
meningitis) to a teenage sensation named Bob Feller, the players are portrayed
in a manner that the reader will learn much about them.

The business of the ball club is a main topic throughout the book and
that was just as good, if not better, than the writing about the people.
Readers will learn a lot about what the team, and the sport of baseball, went
through during the Great Depression and how they, like every other industry and
business, had to make significant cuts to expenses to survive. The saga of the team
moving to the new stadium also made great reading, including the incredible
decision of Bradley to move the team back to its smaller, older park in 1934
because he felt the rent charged by the city was too high.

Readers who are interested in baseball history, even if that interest isn’t
concentrated on the Indians, will enjoy this book as it paints a complete
picture of the team during that time frame. Indians fans who want to know more
about the history of their team and the old “Mistake by the Lake” – the nickname
later given to Cleveland Municipal Stadium – will enjoy reading this one as
well.

I wish to thank Mr. Longert for providing a copy of the book in exchange
for an honest review.